Device for repairing pneumatic tires.



G. H. RAFLOVIGH.

DEVICE FOR REPAIRING PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 29, 1912.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

ocean n. narnovrcn, or nos'rommassacnus'mrs.

DEVICE FOR REPAIRING PNEUMATIC TILES.

Specification Letters Patent.

Application filed February 89, 1919. Serial No. 680,608.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Gus'rar H. Rarnovrou,

a citizen of the United States, residing at -Boston, county of Suflolk,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Devices forRepairing Pneumatic Tlres, of

, which the following description, in connec tion with the accompanyingdrawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representinglike parts.

' This invention relates to a device to be used in repairing puncturesand breaks in pneumatic tires.

It frequently happens that the shoe or outer casing of a pneumatic tirebecomes damaged in one part owing to a blow-out,

puncture, or some other cause, before the rest of the tire is worn toany great extent,'and under such conditions it is of great advantage tobe able to repair the damaged portion of the tire. One method nowemployed in thus repairing a damaged portion of the tire is to apply apatch and'a reinforcing quantity of rubber or other material to. thedamaged part of the tire and then place said tire in a mold and insertin the tire a mandrel to pteserve its shape interiorly and then tosubject the tire to the vulcanizing process.

It has been heretofore proposed to employ a mandrel in the form of aninflatable cartridge which could be inserted within the tire at thedamaged portion thereof and could be filled with air or'gasundersuflicient pressure to hold the tire interiorly in its proper shape.

-My invention relates particularly to a cartridge or inflatable mandrelof this type and the object of the invention is to provide a simpledevice of this nature which can be inexpensively manufactured.

Referring to the drawings wherein I have illustrated a preferredembodiment of my invention, Figure l is a longitudinal section through amold with a portion of a tire therein and showing my improved inflatablemandrel; Fig. 2 is a side view of the mandrel; Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of one section of the mandrel; Fig. 4 is a view showing theexterior wrapping or jacket for the mandrel; Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of the 1 designates a portion ofa tire which may be either theouter shoe or casing of a double tube tire or may be a single tube tire.

2 designates a mold in which the damaged Patented Dec. 24,191,232

portion of the tire is placed, and 3 designates generally the inflatablemandrel within'the tire for preserving its proper shape during thevulcanlzing process, it being .understo'od' that the mold 2 with thetire therein and themandrel are placed in a suitable vulcamzlngapparatus in order to vulcaniz e-the patch on the damaged portion of thetire.

My improved mandrel comprises an outer casing and an inner inflatablechamber within the casing. The inner chamber is designated 4 and is madeof rubber so that it can be expanded in a manner similar to the innertube of an'ordinary pneumatic tire. This inner inflatable chamber hasconnected thereto a pipe or tube 5 which is provided at its end. with asuitable valve 6 and through which air or gas may be pumped mto thechamber to inflate it. The outer casing is formed of two parts, a bodyportion designated generally 7 which is'open at one end, as at 9, and acap 8 adapted to set into said open end. I

In making the body portion of the outer casing I first wrap strips ofcanvas s irally about a mandrel, as shown at 10, in ig. 3, and thenplace stay strips 11 longitudinally of the body. These stay strips onopposite sides of the body are formed from the same piece of material,and said piece being carried beyond the open end 9 of the body and bentto form the loops '13. At the closed end of the body the stay stripsoverlap each other, as shown at 12. Outside of the stay strips I placean envelop or jacket of canvas or similar material, and in the presentembodiment said jacket is shown as formed of two strips 14 and 15 ofcanvas, each cut on the bias at one end, as at 16 and '17, and eachwrapped about the body, as shown in Fig. 2. The inclined edges 16, 17 ofthe sections 14, 15 meet each other and the meeting edges 18 of the twosections are covered by a strip 19, as shown in Fig. 2. These strips ofcanvas are properly cemented together and then the whole structure isvulcanized to make an integral body.

The cap 8 may be made in any suitable way and it is of a size totelescope into the body, as shown in Fig. 1. The loops 13 are revidedwith the apertures 190through wliich the tube 5 may extend.

In using my improved device the inner inflatable chamber 4 is insertedinto the open end of the body 7 of the'cartridge, it being understoodthat the loops 13 may be swung down to one side to entirely uncover saidopen end and then the cap 8' is'applid, said cap-having an aperturethrough which the stem5 may project. The stem 5 is then passed throughthe opening 190 in the loops 1:} and the latter are swun into theiroperafive position over the en of the cap 8, as seen in Fig. 2. Thecartridge. when thus assembled is ready for use and the requiredpressure withinit may be secured by either pumping air or gas ther'eintoor by placing therein a suitable quantity of water which it vwill bevaporized by the heat developed during the vulcanizing recess thereb toform within the chamb r suflicient stiaam pressure to hold the tubeinteriorly in its r uired shape.

. he manner in which my improved mandrel is used for repairing a tireafter said mandrel has been inserted into the tire is well known tothose skilled in the art need not be further referred to.

My improved mandrel can be manufac tured very simipl'y and inexpensivelyand it will operate e ectively to hold the tire in and "shape interiorlyduring the vulcanizing process. The use of loops or straps 13 for oldingthe cap in the body 7 avoids the necessity of using any metal-retainingmeans for securing the cap in place and makes not only an eflicientholdingdevice for the cap, but enables me to make the outer casingcomparativelyfplliable.

Having lly described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is r 1. In a device of the class described, the

combination with an inner inflatable chamber having a valved tube 5connected thereto, of an outer casing com rising an openended body and acap to t into said end, said cap having an opening through which saidtube "extends, and retaining straps 13 secured to the body andr'ojectlng beyond the open end thereof an adapted to embrace the capland hold the latter in position,

beyond the open end to form the holding loops 18 which embrace the capand hold it in place, each loop having an a erture through which thevalved tube exten s.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAF H. RAFLOVICH.

Witnesses:

LOUIS 0. SMITH, THOMAS J DRUMMOND.

